There is so much in today’s passage – Jacob’s reunion with
Esau, Dinah’s mistreatment and her brothers’ response, Jacob’s reaction to the
brothers’ actions – and that’s just the Old Testament. In Matthew, we have
these beautiful verses – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle
and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light” (Mt. 11:28-30). What promise those words of Jesus
hold for us!
But today, I actually want to focus on the very first part
of the reading, when Jacob wrestles with the “man” until the break of day (Gen.
32:24).
For most of my life, my dad has been a pastor. And during
the years when he wasn’t preaching, he was teaching preaching at either Dallas
Theological Seminary in Texas or Talbot School of Theology in California. So
I’ve heard a lot of my dad’s sermons. I think he’s a wonderful preacher and
there are many sermons that I can still remember, even decades later.
Not too long ago, my dad preached on this passage. This was
one of those sermons I remember, because I’ve always wondered at this passage.
Why does God disguise himself as a man? Why does he wrestle with Jacob? Why
does God have to make Jacob lame – can’t he win the wrestling matching fair
and square? And why does God ask Jacob his name – doesn’t He know?
Then once Jacob says his name, why does God rename him? Why doesn’t God want to
give his name to Jacob, who clearly knows who he is? So many questions!
As my dad was preaching through this passage, he shared how
his own understanding of this passage has changed as he has grown in his walk
with the Lord. When he was younger, he couldn’t make sense of it because he
didn’t understand himself or God. But as the years passed, it became clear to
him what it means to wrestle with the Lord and truly surrender, as Jacob did. He
calls it Jacob’s “magnificent defeat.” Jacob wrestles and wrestles and finally
is forced to surrender to God when the Lord cripples him. Jacob faces the question of
whether it will be his way or God’s way. And he chooses God’s way. And, in that,
there is great blessing.
And what about why God asks what Jacob’s name is? This is not
because he doesn’t know, not because he’s looking for information, but because
he wants Jacob to say out loud who he is, to make an admission on his character
– he is Jacob, heel-holder, supplanter, con-man. But God removes that label
from Jacob and instead tells Jacob, “You will no longer be a manipulator but
instead you will be called Israel – he who strives with God and prevails” (see Gen. 32:28).
At some point, each of us must face the true presence of God
and decide if it will be his way or our way in this life we live. For some of
us, God will have to break us, like he did with Jacob. Others of us might be
able to surrender to God more peacefully. But no matter the way we concede and
acknowledge that God is in charge of our future, the result is always the same
– blessing. As my dad said in his sermon, “Defeated, magnificently defeated,
but forever blessed.”
- Esther McCurry
How did God speak to you in Scripture today? Click here to share your reflections on God's word or read past posts. We'd love to hear from you.
How did God speak to you in Scripture today? Click here to share your reflections on God's word or read past posts. We'd love to hear from you.
Beautifully said, Esther.
ReplyDeleteThank you Esther
ReplyDelete